A short history...

In 1977 Mrs Jo Morrissey started a group of ladies who decided that there was a need to have screening to detect early cancers in women, and in particular breast cancer. They called themselves TUBS (Thanet Unit for Breast Screening), since they all lived in that area. In 1978 they launched an appeal for a mobile screening unit that would be financially independent of the NHS, yet work in conjunction with doctors and surgeons.

TUBS was made into a charity in 1979, and shortly after this was taken over by Mrs Rose Cunningham, who has chaired it ever since.

Over 800 women were screened in a private mobile unit in a car park in Margate in 1981, subsidised heavily by TUBS, and in 1981 the mobile breast screening unit started touring East Kent, offering screening to each of the major towns in East Kent. Later that year the service moved to Canterbury Hospital using Health Service equipment. Fund raising activities began in Whitstable as well as Thanet. Later, groups in Faversham and Folkestone were set up, and over £70,000 had been raised by this time. The name of the charity was changed to EKUBS (East Kent Unit for Breast Screening) in 1983.

In 1985 a unit was opened at Margate Hospital (now Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital) and was completely funded by EKUBS at a cost of £35,000. In 1992 a new unit was opened in QEQM, funded by the NHS and with a new Processor provided by EKUBS, and was named The Rose Cunningham Breast Screening Unit, in honour of our chairman.

Since the charity was founded to screen for any female cancers, money has also been given in recent years, to provide a Sentinel Node Gamma Probe for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, to help locate lymph nodes involved in genital cancers, thus avoiding some unnecessary and potentially destructive surgery. It is hoped that this will shortly be used to similarly help with assessing the need for some breast operations.

To the end of May 2007, EKUBS has given £464,000 to the two hospitals for equipment, with a further £55,000 set aside for ultrasound equipment designated for breast investigation at Kent & Canterbury Hospital.

The charities resources come mainly from fundraising activities in Thanet. As may be appreciated, a considerable amount of time and effort is involved in raising funds for this charity.

If you would like to be involved in these activities, please contact us.